Abstract
Philadelphia's City Hall has been a focal point of the city since it was first built in the 1800s. It has been an important building to the city even into the 21st century, by shaping how the city developed itself over the years. The building today still holds world records in the way it was constructed and has proven to be a timeless building to the city of Philadelphia.
Outline
Construction of City Hall
Materials Used for Construction
Location of City Hall
Interior of City Hall
Exterior of City Hall
William Penn Statue
Gentleman's Agreement
Construction of City Hall
City Hall first began construction 1871 and was not completed until 1901. The building was designed by a Scottish architect named John McArthur, Jr. It was built in the Second Empire style, which was a popular style during the Victorian era, which consisted of a rectangular tower with a mansard roof. With the construction of the building lasting 30 years, the building cost $24 million to construct. City Hall was originally designed to be the world's largest building, but again, with the construction lasting so long, by the time it was completed, other buildings in the world had surpassed City Hall in height. Although it is not the tallest building, it is the tallest masonry building in the world. It was considered the world's largest habitable building in the world from 1901 to 1908. Once completed the building was originally called The New Public Building, but was later changed to Philadelphia City Hall.
2. Materials Used for Construction
City Hall's principal exterior is made of marble, granite and limestone. The weight of the largest stone was 36 tons and about 98,000 square feet of granite was used. 730,000 square feet of marble and 88,300,000 hand made hard bricks were used to create the building. Also, as of 1891, 10,400 lights were installed, which is took 5 years to chisel the walls to install electric wires.
3. Location of City Hall
City Hall is located at Centre Square, on Market and Broad Streets. When William Penn first created his plans for the city, he designed five squares in the city for the public. The first buildings that acted as a city hall were located in what is now Old City. As the city expanded, however, a bigger building and better area was needed for a city hall. Centre Square was one of the squares reserved for public buildings and was picked to be the new location of the city hall.
4. Interior of City Hall
City Hall consists of 695 rooms which makes it the largest municipal building in the U.S. The building housed three branches of government for Philadelphia, the Executive branch (the Mayor's office), Legislative branch (City Council), and the Judicial branch's Civl Courts (Court of Common Pleas).
5. Exterior of City Hall
City Hall is 547 feet tall, including that statue, the observation deck being 500 feet above street level. There are many bronze statues displayed on City Hall. There are four bronze eagles that each weigh 9,000 pounds and have a wingspan of 15 feet. The tower always features clocks on all four sides that are each 26 feet in diameter. The hands of the clock are driven by compressed air. The clock weighs 50 tons, with the minute hand weighing 225 pounds and the hour hand weighing 175.
6. William Penn Statue
On top of City Hall there is statue of William Penn at the top of the tower. The statue was sculpted out of bronze and was designed by Alexander Milne Calder. It is the tallest statue on any building in the world. That statue itself is 37 feet tall and weights 27 tons. It is hallow inside with a small hatch at the top of his hat for maintenance crews. Before the completion of City Hall, the statue was displayed in the courtyard for a year.
7. Gentleman's Agreement
A gentleman's agreement is an informal agreement between two or more parties. Philadelphia was involved in a gentleman's agreement from 1901 up until 1987, with the agreement being that no building would surpass in height the William Penn statue. This agreement shaped the way Philadelphia looked for many years, with very little skyscrapers in the city. When One Liberty Place was completed in 1987, this agreement was finally broken. With this came folk lore and speculation that no Philadelphia sports team could win a championship because the gentleman's agreement was broken.
Philadelphia's City Hall has been a focal point of the city since it was first built in the 1800s. It has been an important building to the city even into the 21st century, by shaping how the city developed itself over the years. The building today still holds world records in the way it was constructed and has proven to be a timeless building to the city of Philadelphia.
Outline
- Construction of City Hall
City Hall first began construction 1871 and was not completed until 1901. The building was designed by a Scottish architect named John McArthur, Jr. It was built in the Second Empire style, which was a popular style during the Victorian era, which consisted of a rectangular tower with a mansard roof. With the construction of the building lasting 30 years, the building cost $24 million to construct. City Hall was originally designed to be the world's largest building, but again, with the construction lasting so long, by the time it was completed, other buildings in the world had surpassed City Hall in height. Although it is not the tallest building, it is the tallest masonry building in the world. It was considered the world's largest habitable building in the world from 1901 to 1908. Once completed the building was originally called The New Public Building, but was later changed to Philadelphia City Hall.2. Materials Used for Construction
City Hall's principal exterior is made of marble, granite and limestone. The weight of the largest stone was 36 tons and about 98,000 square feet of granite was used. 730,000 square feet of marble and 88,300,000 hand made hard bricks were used to create the building. Also, as of 1891, 10,400 lights were installed, which is took 5 years to chisel the walls to install electric wires.
3. Location of City Hall
City Hall is located at Centre Square, on Market and Broad Streets. When William Penn first created his plans for the city, he designed five squares in the city for the public. The first buildings that acted as a city hall were located in what is now Old City. As the city expanded, however, a bigger building and better area was needed for a city hall. Centre Square was one of the squares reserved for public buildings and was picked to be the new location of the city hall.
4. Interior of City Hall
City Hall consists of 695 rooms which makes it the largest municipal building in the U.S. The building housed three branches of government for Philadelphia, the Executive branch (the Mayor's office), Legislative branch (City Council), and the Judicial branch's Civl Courts (Court of Common Pleas).
5. Exterior of City Hall
City Hall is 547 feet tall, including that statue, the observation deck being 500 feet above street level. There are many bronze statues displayed on City Hall. There are four bronze eagles that each weigh 9,000 pounds and have a wingspan of 15 feet. The tower always features clocks on all four sides that are each 26 feet in diameter. The hands of the clock are driven by compressed air. The clock weighs 50 tons, with the minute hand weighing 225 pounds and the hour hand weighing 175.
6. William Penn Statue
On top of City Hall there is statue of William Penn at the top of the tower. The statue was sculpted out of bronze and was designed by Alexander Milne Calder. It is the tallest statue on any building in the world. That statue itself is 37 feet tall and weights 27 tons. It is hallow inside with a small hatch at the top of his hat for maintenance crews. Before the completion of City Hall, the statue was displayed in the courtyard for a year.
7. Gentleman's Agreement
A gentleman's agreement is an informal agreement between two or more parties. Philadelphia was involved in a gentleman's agreement from 1901 up until 1987, with the agreement being that no building would surpass in height the William Penn statue. This agreement shaped the way Philadelphia looked for many years, with very little skyscrapers in the city. When One Liberty Place was completed in 1987, this agreement was finally broken. With this came folk lore and speculation that no Philadelphia sports team could win a championship because the gentleman's agreement was broken.
References:
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Hornblum, Allen M. Philadelphia's City Hall. Chicago: Arcadia, 2003.
"Philadelphia City Hall." Philadelphia Buildings. The Athenaeum of Philadelphia, 2009. Web. <http:// www.philadelphiabuildings.org/pab/app/pj_display_alldates.cfm/20977>.
"PHILADELPHIA CITY HALL TRIVIA2 CONSTRUCTION." Ajax Electric Company - Manufacturers of Salt Bath Furnaces - Intro. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 June 2009. <http://www.ajaxelectric.com/cityhall/trivia2.htm>.
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"Philadelphia City Hall." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 June 2009. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philadelphia_City_Hall>.